[fiestyredhead331]

http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/top-stories/crofters-urged-to-give-vulnerable-people-paid-work-1-3436914

I can see where they are coming from and in some ways makes perfect sense but I don't know on what scale it would work.
I work with learning disabled young adults as my 'day' job and none of the service users I work with would take too kindly if I asked them to come over to mine and help clean out henhouses etc. Collecting the eggs maybe, as long as there were no broody ones that will take your arm off if you try to get in the nest!
I know some of my goats would like nothing better than to have someone sit and pay attention to them all day but there are horns to consider  even the chickens come feeding time are a force to be reckoned with.
I would also imagine that in some cases the adult in question would need to have their carer, whether it be NHS or private, with them.
It would on the other hand be a useful source of income and help as its not an easy life and an extra pair of hands always comes in handy. I will be watching this subject with interest!

[Ina]

Can't read the article - it's been trying to load for the past 5 minutes...

My first reaction - that idea has been cooked up by somebody who thinks that farming/crofting is all about tinkering about lightly in the beautiful countryside with healthy fresh air etc! (Not having read the article, I might be wrong.)
Work on farm, as you have pointed out, is always bound up with an element of danger. I do some work on farms, and all of it means hard physical labour, and usually thinking quickly, taking decisions on the job etc., and all that for not much pay. Vulnerable people would have to be supervised closely; it can work in a "special" environment, where other staff are trained to work with vulnerable people - but that would mean extra cost, extra staff, and no real help for the farmer/crofter, no matter how enjoyable it could be for the vulnerable person involved. Yes, fine for little jobs like collecting eggs, at certain times - but would the necessary input (i.e. taking somebody to your place) be justified by the outcome? I doubt it.

[Treud na Mara]

Can't read the article - it's been trying to load for the past 5 minutes...

My first reaction - that idea has been cooked up by somebody who thinks that farming/crofting is all about tinkering about lightly in the beautiful countryside with healthy fresh air etc! (Not having read the article, I might be wrong.)
Work on farm, as you have pointed out, is always bound up with an element of danger. I do some work on farms, and all of it means hard physical labour, and usually thinking quickly, taking decisions on the job etc., and all that for not much pay. Vulnerable people would have to be supervised closely; it can work in a "special" environment, where other staff are trained to work with vulnerable people - but that would mean extra cost, extra staff, and no real help for the farmer/crofter, no matter how enjoyable it could be for the vulnerable person involved. Yes, fine for little jobs like collecting eggs, at certain times - but would the necessary input (i.e. taking somebody to your place) be justified by the outcome? I doubt it.

Worth doing a search on the Scotsman site directly to read the article. Glachbeg and Bob himself are very special and what he does clearly works.  But I agree that this is a very difficult area.  Doesn't mean it's not worth trying though and the rewards in individual cases can be immense.  I know of one youngster on the autism spectrum who has been transformed by involvement with his mother's sheep and cows, to the extent that he wants to show one of the calves. This would have been an unthinkable outcome two years ago.  So it seems to me that there is certainly the potential for very positive experience, but of course also potential for very high risk. The key seems to be the very special people who are involved and their personal commitment to the individuals involved. I suspect there are all sorts of informal relationships like this going on, the game-changer comes with payment, and if such services could be rewarded financially that could be of real benefit to the crofters or smallholders involved, but it's hard to see how it could become a significant and reliable income without a lot of beaurocracy. Still I believe that just because it's hard doesn't mean it's not worthwhile. At the end of the day, what placements like that can provide can be beyond price, when they work well, and the people who provide them should be rewarded financially and the whole of society should be grateful for their contribution.

[fiestyredhead331]

I agree in some cases this could be a very valuable experience for all concerned but there would need to be a lot of ground work first and pairing up of people to the right environment. It can't be a one size fits all system but once money comes into the equation there is the possibility of exploitation. I have had experience of this directly when one of my female service users was given work at a community buy out scheme, working in the lodge doing laundry and cleaning. When I asked how and when she would be getting paid, I was told more or less that we should be grateful they were giving her something to do!!! needless to say I put a stop that pronto! Not that all situations are like that but it does happen. Will be interesting to see how it goes, there are those who would gain some good life skills and values from such an enterprise.